This bourbon was distilled at the Pennco Distillery in 1974 (in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania -- not long after this was distilled, the distillery was purchased in foreclosure and renamed Michter's). Adolf Hirsch, a former Schenley executive, had commissioned the whiskey to be distilled. It aged until 1989, when the distillery was once again in foreclosure. Hirsch then sold the whiskey to the Hue Family (Kentucky) in 1990. Most of the stock was transferred to stainless steel tanks, effectively ending the aging process at 16 years old. The first release seems to have been bottled in 1990 for Japan (black wax?), with subsequent US releases (blue wax, gold wax dumpy, gold wax tall). Preiss Imports (San Francisco) bought the rights to the remaining stock in 2003. The last version (gold foil) was bottled for Preiss by Buffalo Trace, overseen by Julian Van Winkle.

Relatively straightforward, sweet, well-rounded bourbon in the best way. I really like it, but the price increase lately (due to scarcity) has made this impractical to own. It was originally around $60, which may have been a fair price, but I've seen it as of Spring 2008 for as much as $180. [As of early 2009, most prices around the US well exceed $200] [As of 2013, some people are paying so much for this that I can't even discuss it without getting very upset. Let's just say we're in a bit of a bourbon fad.]

This bourbon was distilled at the Pennco Distillery in 1974 (in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania -- not long after this was distilled, the distillery was purchased in foreclosure and renamed Michter's). Adolf Hirsch, a former Schenley executive, had commissioned the whiskey to be distilled. It then aged until 1989, when the distillery was once again in foreclosure. Hirsch then sold the whiskey to the Hue Family (Kentucky) in 1990. Although most of the stock was transferred into stainless steel tanks (which halted the age at 16 years, see A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16), some was further held in barrels and bottled at 18, 19, and 20 years.

N: Fruit and a lot of oak, rancio, bacon fat, and a little cinnamon.P: Mainly a dry oak attack. F: Real long with wave of bubble gum and flowery lavender, some chocolate, and after a very long time, lingering bitter oak.Palate is a bit lacking, but the nose and finish make up for it. Certainly an enjoyable bourbon, but lacks that special hook that brings you back from more.

This legendary bottling turns out to be, yes, extremely tasty and dangerously drinkable on top of that. A mildly-sweet number (meaning there's a tinge more sweetness than I'd expect for 20 years) that pleases without being very complex, and with a richness that's satisfying without being overwhelming.

And that's the extent of my notes, because it's all I managed to jot down while I was overwhelmed by the excitement of discovering a mostly-full bottle of this on the backbar of a restaurant somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. This botle had no right to be there anymore, so of course I drank as much of it as I could... but I left some for you... if you find it! B+/A-

A pre-prohibition bottle, circa 1909. The top of the capsule on the bottle says "C.F. Wildey and Son, New York". Some extensive googling revealed that C.F. Wildey was a hotel owner during this era. One website shows him as the proprietor of the Cosmopolitan Hotel at the corner of Chambers Street and West Broadway, which still exists today. Given the capsule, it would seem that the hotel bottled this whisky itself. Although the Bottled in Bond act was passed in 1897, its possible that hotels and shopkeepers still had barrels of whiskey their cellars.

The label has a government statement indicating the contents are a "compound of superior whiskey and other grain distillates". Not very helpful but would seem to indicate that this could be a blend. Also the spelling of whiskey (with the "e") and the dark orange color seem to point towards American whiskey.

First nosing reveals a very pungent and woody nose, with strong nutmeg and black tea aromas hiding some lighter cinnamon notes. Well, it's definitely whiskey, and If I had a guess I would say it's a bourbon with some wheat in the mash bill.

The palate is quite oily with an unusual mouth feel. I suspect this is now a bit under proof due to evaporation and that may explain it. Despite the oily texture, it's not sweet at all, quite dry, woody, and tannic with strong notes of tea and tobacco. But not bad at all!

Very hard to give a grade to something like this. I can't say I want to drink a lot of this, but that's partially the fear factor, who really knows what's in this bottle. It was not too long before this time that adulteration of whiskey was rampant, so it's possible those tea notes I detected are in fact tea! I'll give it a B, because it's a whisky worth trying that you might want to own.

Not that anyone will ever find another bottle of this, or be foolish brave enough to drink it, but whatever.

I'm not assigning a rating to this. I don't even know what it was. On my first sip, it immediately struck me as rancid and sour, and I raced to the bathroom and spat it out. I waited some time to see if the other guys in the room -- who were swallowing quite a bit of this -- seemed to suffer any ill effects. As they all seemed to retain their eye and lung functions, I dared take another sip. That time, it didn't strike me so awfully... in fact, it was quite sweet and rather caramel-y. Felt funny in my mouth, a texture like a liquer. And that's about all I could find out about it, because I was too scared to drink much more.

Notes entered just so I can remember years from now that I tried this. NOTE TO SELF: Stop trying stuff like this.

When you get a sample marked "Danger Drink at Own Risk," you know you're in for a wild ride, so here we go...

It smells syrupy. I can detect some feint whiskey notes, maybe some weak rye, but it certainly doesn't scream whiskey at me. There are even some salty/seaweed notes on the nose. There's also some wood, but it's not exactly oak, more like an old dusty cabinet. Definitely some medicinal notes and some bitterness.

Dare I taste it? I do.

It's not unpleasant, but not very whiskey like. There are anise notes and a lot of peppermint type flavors, then it settles into an iced tea flavor profile, then I get some rye spice. On second taste it tastes like iced tea with a little bit of rye whiskey in it. It goes down like iced tea too, very smooth/weak tasting.

Finish: My jaw feels stiff.

It's an interesting flavor profile...maybe that's the lead or whatever is in this stuff. Worth trying? Definitely, so B- it is.

Nose is citrusy. Palate is sweet and decent, fruity and lightly sherried. Honey, malt, and light spice make appearances. Finishes well, with more malt. This kind of strikes me as an "advanced" party whisky... meaning it's decently-priced, and pretty drinkable at length but with a little extra something. B/B-

Nose is light sherry and dried fruit. The palate has more pear, grain sugar, spiced peaches. The finish has some definite honey that turns into mint milk chocolate and dark rum. The last two flavors are personal favorites, so I have a real liking for this whisky. Very balanced weight for the light to medium body flavors. Nothing was off-putting. Good deal for an easily available distillery bottling. I am buying some.

Nose of cherries, and other berries galore. Other standard-like caramel and toffee characteristics. On the palate there's cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and bread -- good, balanced sweetness -- and it's really tasty. Finish continues the theme at some length. This is a single malt that's bursting with accessible, enjoyable flavors. This is a great choice for a high-class party-pleaser. Yum!